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Argentine Head Coach Daniel Hourcade has taken a modern approach by selecting a 17-14 split of forwards and backs to take to the Rugby World Cup which gets underway on September 19.
Following yesterday’s international against South Africa Hourcade was not present for the post match media conference. Instead he was taking care of last minute business, or specifically was talking to the players to let them know who had made the squad and who had missed out.
The official announcement came this morning, local time, from the Hotel Intercontinental in Buenos Aires. The selected players are a combination of seasoned campaigners who have years of experience in foreign leagues and fresh faces whom have been blooded by Hourcade over the past 22 months.
Hourcade took over from Santiago Phelan who resigned after a poor Rugby Championship campaign in 2013 which was surrounded by controversy including a player revolt. Damage control saw Hourcade restoring order in the November 2013 European tour before installing his true coaching regime the following June and excluding regulars under Phelan.
Among those excluded were Patricio Albacete, Julio Farías Cabello, Manuel Carizza, Santiago Fernández, Eusebio Guiñazú and Gonzalo Tiesi. An uproar followed but Hourcade calmed the storm by delivering onfield results including victories over Australia, France and South Africa. The wins came without all of these players.
Experience
Hourcade’s revolutionary changes also included a differing game plan as width was added to the traditional solid scrum. It required mobile back-row and second-row forwards and improved finishers outwide.
Old heads were essential to unravel the game plan which saw Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe and Juan Manuel Leguizamón being leaders of the pack but doing so under the captaincy of Agustín Creevy. The trio have been joined by a maturing Leonardo Senatore and Marcos Ayerza to give Los Pumas plenty of experience to build a scrum around.
Hourcade also left his mark by moving Juan Martín Hernández into a play-making position. He had been fullback under Phelan in 2013 but Hourcade used him to great effect as an inside center in combination with Nicolás Sánchez who remained at fly half. Marcelo Bosch joined Hernández in the mid-field to give Argentina a balanced defensive line and an offensive arrangement which asked more of the defenses of Rugby Championship opponents.
Youth
Phelan’s squad which went to Rugby World Cup 2011 was aged. Mario Ledesma, Julio Farías Cabello, Felipe Contepomi, Rodrigo Roncero and Martín Scelzo were all retained from the 2007 campaign but were not the same force. Hourcade’s changes have seen few similar instances for this year’s World Cup.
The old guard has been cleared with great effect. So much so that despite no wing or fullback scoring a try under Phelan in the 2013 Rugby Championship four did so in the 2014 tournament. Hourcade put faith in Juan Imhoff, Manuel Montero and Joaquín Tuculet in the back-three and they delivered.
Montero’s World Cup Dream fell short this year after his season came to a premature end via injury. In his place Hourcade gave Santiago Cordero game time on both wings and at fullback and the outcome was a dangerous counter-attacking player to add to the attacking arsenal for the World Cup.
Albacete and Carizza made way for Tomás Lavanini, Matías Alemanno and Guido Petti who join Mariano Galarza who, at 28, is easily the eldest second-rower going to play in England and Wales.
Unlucky
Facundo Isa, Pablo Matera and Javier Ortega Desio are also young players blooded by Hourcade traveling to the World Cup. Their inclusion sees no place for Benjamín Macome whose place had appeared certain just a few weeks ago.
Just as unlucky to have missed out is 21 year old Tomás Lezana who played well against South Africa yesterday as was also the case in Durban on the previous Saturday. Like Carizza he played very well when given the chance but has missed out by a hair.
Another close call sees Santiago Iglesias Valdez left out of the squad with Julián Montoya instead to travel as the reserve hooker to captain Creevy. Hourcade’s option of taking two rather than three hookers is the prime reason behind the decision.
Circumstances rather than performances or overall talent have seen Hourcade opting for Horacio Agulla over Gonzalo Camacho. The former was used as a winger in the Rugby Championship but was unable to threaten the opposition unlike Imhoff, Cordero and Camacho. Uncertainty over Camacho’s fitness, though, has seen Agulla included with Tuculet and Lucas González Amorosino being fullbacks who can also cover wing.
Agulla has made it as a winger despite having played outside center in the past and, arguably having played better. Hourcade has opted for Bosch to be covered by Matías Moroni while Jerónimo De la Fuente is back-up to Hernández at 12. Both Santiago González Iglesias and Juan Pablo Socino have also been picked as players covering fly half and inside center and are likely to start one or more pool matches, possibly against Namibia, to rest Sánchez and Hernández.
| Player | Position | Age | Club |
| Agustín Creevy | Hooker | 30 | UAR |
| Julián Montoya | Hooker | 21 | UAR |
| Marcos Ayerza | Loosehead Prop | 32 | Leicester |
| Lucas Noguera Paz | Loosehead Prop | 22 | UAR |
| Matías Díaz | Tighthead Prop | 22 | UAR |
| Ramiro Herrera | Tighthead Prop | 26 | UAR |
| Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro | Tighthead Prop | 25 | UAR |
| Matías Alemanno | Second-row | 23 | UAR |
| Mariano Galarza | Second-row | 28 | Gloucester |
| Tomás Lavanini | Second-row | 22 | UAR |
| Guito Petti Pagadizábal | Second-row | 20 | UAR |
| Facundo Isa | Back-row | 21 | UAR |
| Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe | Back-row | 33 | Toulon |
| Juan Manuel Leguizamón | Back-row | 32 | Unattached |
| Pablo Matera | Back-row | 22 | UAR |
| Javier Ortega Desio | Back-row | 25 | UAR |
| Leonardo Senatore | Back-row | 31 | Unattached |
| Tomás Cubelli | Scumhalf | 26 | UAR |
| Martín Landajo | Scrumhalf | 27 | UAR |
| Santiago González Iglesias | Fly half | 27 | UAR |
| Nicolás Sánchez | Fly half | 26 | UAR |
| Jerónimo De la Fuente | Inside Center | 24 | UAR |
| Juan Martín Hernández | Inside Center | 33 | Unattached |
| Juan Pablo Socino | Inside Center | 27 | Newcastle |
| Marcelo Bosch | Outside Center | 31 | Saracens |
| Matías Moroni | Outside Center | 24 | UAR |
| Horacio Agulla | Wing | 30 | Bath |
| Santiago Cordero | Wing | 21 | UAR |
| Juan Imhoff | Wing | 27 | Racing 92 |
| Lucas González Amorosino | Fullback | 29 | Unattached |
| Joaquín Tuculet | Fullback | 26 | UAR |
